Three collisions in a week send motorcyclists to area hospitals

A man was flown to a Columbus hospital with serious injuries Tuesday afternoon when his motorcycle collided with a car. The vehicle reportedly failed to stop at a stop sign.
Kaitlin Durbin/News Journal

SHELBY A man was flown to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center on Tuesday after his motorcycle collided with another vehicle.

The man, Jason Honaker, 43, of Willard, was believed to have facial fractures and possible fractures in his pelvis, arm and wrist, according to EMS scanner traffic. He was not wearing a helmet, Lt. Chad Enderby, commander of the Mansfield post of the Highway Patrol, said Tuesday.

Today the patrol reported Honaker remains in critical condition at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.

The man was riding a motorcycle southeast on Ohio 39 when he collided with the driver's side of a vehicle that failed to stop at a stop sign on Myers Road and was thrown, Enderby said. The blue Honda Accord, driven by a Shelby woman, was traveling east, he said.

The woman, 87-year-old Rita Walsh, was transported to OhioHealth MedCentral Mansfield Hospital to be checked, Enderby said. Rescuers had to cut apart a section of the vehicle to free her.

Another motorcyclists had suffered less serious injuries in a crash earlier in the morning in Ontario.

The motorcyclist, Craig Barnhart, 44, was transported to OhioHealth MedCentral/Mansfield Hospital after his bike collided with a car around 8 a.m. at Ohio 309 in front of the Ontario Post Office.

A 17-year-old teen said the sun was in his eyes as he traveled east on Ohio 309. He was charged with failing to maintain assured clear distance, according to Ontario police.

Both incidents come a week after another motorcyclist was seriously injured in a crash near Bellville.

Nelson Charles, 40, of Granville was flown to Grant Medical Center five days earlier after his bike veered left of center and collided with a flatbed trailer. He was undergoing several surgeries at the hospital.